GUEST EDITORIAL: What to Know About the Show as Theaters Reopen

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What to Know About the Show as Theaters Reopen

by Lewis Robinson

If you are an aficionado of going to the theater to see motion pictures, you must be relieved to see the pandemic fading and the cinemas beginning to reopen. You might also be interested in knowing that the theaters missed you more than you missed them. From 2019 to 2020, American cinemas suffered a 72% decline in revenue. Many independent theaters did not survive and some chains had to consolidate in order to make it through the year financially. Even though the slowdown has passed and those theaters that made it are open and showing films again, things have changed in many ways. Here is a brief overview of the current state of the movies and what we can expect from theaters and the movies themselves in the years to come.

What About Staying Home and Streaming?

It is not like there were no movies to see during 2020. Some big-budget features that were headed for the cinema—think Wonder Woman 1984—ended up on the streaming services that just kept emerging throughout the year and offering new content. Our routine, since we were stuck at home anyway, became: grab something nutritious, slap on a thrive patch, and binge not just movies but entire seasons of our favorite telenovelas. Some pundits predicted streaming coupled with the quarantine would be the end of the movie theaters altogether. Then along came Godzilla versus King Kong, which had an opening weekend box office of $48 million. The cinema was back. Certainly, streaming will not be going away. Indeed, it is expanding. Theaters may be changing but they are here to stay as well.

What Changes You Will Notice?

Chances are, the first time you went to a cinema after the pandemic, you noticed things were a little different. Frankly, theaters were already changing their operating procedures before the quarantine, which allowed them the quiet time to complete their transformation. Here are some of the noteworthy differences in theaters as of 2021:

• Theaters will have smaller, revamped seating. Count on recliners (sometimes even heated), reserve seating and significantly reduced numbers of available seats.

• You will get to help yourself a lot more. From purchasing your tickets online, you will be able to fill and refill your own soda cup and get concessions from a machine.

• Special offers to join movie clubs for discount tickets will be coming your way, often.

• Theater chains will likely continue their consolidation as well as their attempts to advertise to you personally.

What Is Different About the Films Themselves?

Many of the big-ticket movies are decades in the planning. Thus, some of the changes in the focus and production of new films were already in the works before 2020. For instance, mega productions like No Time to Die and Dune were shot with the recognition that viewers would not fully appreciate them unless they were seen on the widescreen. The pandemic itself has reportedly reinvigorated the production of documentaries along with intimate, personal independent films. What will not change is the flood of derivative movies (every comic book hero gets 90 minutes of cinema) and sequels. Of the top 30 grossing movies between 2010-2019, only one—Frozen—was neither a sequel nor based upon characters already familiar to viewers.

What Movie Trends Are on the Horizon?

As noted, superhero movies are not going away, especially since Avengers: Endgame turned into the most financially successful movie of all time. The heroes themselves, however, may be changing. More female main characters, lead actors of color and characters portrayed as LBGT will be taking center stage. There is a trend toward more “grown-up movies,” with even some of the comic book hero movies now sporting R ratings. Down the road, there may be some computerized audience participation films as well as movies that have elements and storylines that will not be streamed and only shown in select theaters.

It is a brave new world for the cinema. Movie theaters are changing in ways we cannot anticipate, though we can smell the corn popping.

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GUEST COLUMN: Quintessential Las Vegas Movies

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Quintessential Las Vegas Movies

by Kevin Gardner

Sin City. Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s a truly unique city, not just in America, but in the whole world. For some, it’s a vacation destination with great food and shows. For others, it’s an adult Disneyland filled with the decadence of gambling, sex, and booze. Whichever way you look at it, Las Vegas is a massively appealing setting for Hollywood movies, from depressing dramas about down-on-their-luck losers to cool portrayals of suave sophisticated and high rollers. Here are five truly iconic movies set in the desert layover that became a symbol of the best and worst of America.

“Ocean’s Eleven”

The mention of Las Vegas conjures many images; palm trees, suburban houses with custom pools Las Vegas, and (of course) casinos. The Las Vegas Strip and “Old Vegas” feature legendary casinos featured in numerous movies. When you think about Las Vegas cool, your mind probably drifts back to the 50s and 60s when some of the greatest entertainers held court at iconic casinos. Foremost among those entertainers was “The Rat Pack.” Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, led The Rat Pack, and in their day, they were the epitome of cool. “Ocean’s Eleven” is the story of Danny Ocean (played by Sinatra) leading a group of cool cats comprised of the rest of The Rat Pack and others plotting a casino heist for the ages. Sinatra’s “Ocean’s Eleven'' hit theaters in 1960, but equally iconic was the 2001 remake featuring the coolest actors of that era: George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

“Swingers”

Doug Liman’s 1996 cult classic “Swingers” gave us many iconic film moments. It introduced many people to the acerbic wit of Vince Vaughn, and the charisma of actors like Ron Livingston, Jon Favreau, and Heather Graham. Its juxtaposition of the brief 90s revival of swing music and upbeat, glamourous Las Vegas imagery would likely earn a place on this list by themselves. The legendary phrase “Vegas, baby!”, however, is what solidifies it as a Hollywood/Vegas classic.

“The Hangover”

“The Hangover” certainly owes a great deal to “Swingers,” but it became a box office sensation for a variety of reasons. Sure, it had plenty of cool shots of the Strip’s top casinos. Its appeal, however, relied on a screwball plot (a man goes missing in Vegas after a wild bachelor party) and the perfect confluence of stars on the rise.

“The Hangover” was the film that cemented Bradley Cooper’s leading man status after a memorable turn in “The Wedding Crashers.” Ed Helms was a known comedy star on the rise. Perhaps the biggest revelation of “The Hangover,” though, is the deadpan hilarity of Zach Galifianakis in a comedic supporting role for the ages. This movie spawned two highly successful sequels and propelled its stars into superstardom.

“Viva Las Vegas”

The King himself, Elvis Presley, gave Las Vegas one of its signature songs and signature movies when we made “Viva Las Vegas” in 1964 with Ann-Margaret. This is a celebration of the fun side of Las Vegas, a delightful romp of cars, gambling, and song-and-dance. No list of classic Las Vegas movies would be complete without it. 

“Hard Eight”

Of course, Las Vegas has its dark side. It’s portrayed in numerous movies, from “Leaving Las Vegas” to “Casino” to “The Cooler.” “Hard Eight” may not be a title you recognize instantly, but it is significant in the lineage of both Las Vegas and Hollywood films. That’s because 1996’s “Hard Eight” (also known as “Sydney”) is the feature film debut offering from auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson would go on to make such classics as “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” and “There Will be Blood.” Hard Eight concerns an aging gambler and features soon-to-be Paul Thomas Anderson stock players Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It also stars a rising, young Gwyneth Paltrow and the inimitable Samuel L. Jackson in a sad tale of a Vegas grift.

Las Vegas can inspire many simultaneous emotions, from joy to despair, lust to contentment, and so on. These movies encapsulate, in their own way, the many facets of the Vegas experience.

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GUEST COLUMN: 31 Halloween Movies For Every Night of October

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31 Halloween Movies For Every Night of October

by Kevin Gardner

Since October is one of the months with 31 days, there is plenty of opportunity to get into the Halloween mood before the big night itself. Here are suggested movies for every one of those nights and there is something for everyone from the truly terrifying to the cute and funny.

Terrifying

"The Ring" is probably the most terrifying movie ever made. It starts with an old videotape and some seeming caller ID spoofing seven days later. Terrifying imagery follows the calls. The original "Halloween" has all the feels of the holiday and "It" features some classically scary concepts, notably clowns. The special effects in "The Exorcist" stand up even though this one is older and if you want to meet a terrifying witch who has cursed a farmhouse and the land around it, then take a look at "The Conjuring". 

Werewolves

The original "Werewolf" seems a bit on the campy side now but there are new and improved werewolves that are much scarier. In "Ginger Snaps" two sisters encounter a werewolf and their whole world starts to change. In  "An American Werewolf in London", two American backpackers are attacked by a werewolf in the English countryside. It has some funny moments but the werewolf transformation in this film is horrifying.

Vampires

"Interview With the Vampire" is an epic story and in the world of the film, it seems natural and believable that vampires have always existed in New Orleans. "The Lost Boys" takes teenage gangs to a whole new level and "Fright Night" has the most hideous vampires you have ever seen.

Zombies

If zombies are your thing, and you're addicted to "The Walking Dead", you need to see the origins of the film zombie in "Night of the Living Dead". There is nothing scarier than a little girl zombie, as you'll find out. This movie just gets better every time you watch it.

Ghosts

Ghosts are a Halloween classic. You might think there couldn't possibly be any new ghost stories to tell, but you'd be wrong. "The Sixth Sense" is startling, scary and the plot has a big twist. 

"The Crow" is a very dark movie and features an avenging ghost. To make it even scarier, the star, Brandon Lee, died during the making of the film. "Poltergeist" is what happens when you build houses on cemeteries but there are many new twists to the haunted house motif.

"The Orphanage" is home to some of the scariest ghosts you will ever see while in "The Others" you won't quite know who is alive and who is doing the haunting.

"Sleepy Hollow" is a gorgeous, moody and scary remake of the classic Headless Horseman tale. If it doesn't get you in the Halloween mood, nothing will.

Sci-fi

Be prepared to watch "Donnie Darko" more than once since it might not make sense the first time. The soundtrack is great and the rabbit is truly scary. Alien movies can be downright hokie and ridiculous, but not "Signs". In the very brief part of the movie when you first see an alien, you will probably scream out loud.

Campy and Funny

The following won't really scare you, but will still give you the Halloween feels. They are all suitable for mixed company, except for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Add "The Addams Family",  "Beetlejuice", "Ernest Scared Stupid", "Ghostbusters", "The Witches" and "Hocus Pocus" to your family movie night lineup.

Classic

"The Halloween Tree" explains the origins of today's Halloween customs and "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a funny and scary classic that just might make you nostalgic for an earlier time.

Cute

For cute, you can't beat these two animated movies. "Kiki's Delivery Service" is about a lovable witch-in-training and Jack, in "The Nightmare Before Christmas", discovers a whole new holiday.

Halloween is one of the best holidays for movie-watching and the best thing is, they can be as scary or as cute as you want.

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GUEST COLUMN: Best Chick Flicks For Your Next Movie Night

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Best Chick Flicks For Your Next Movie Night

by Devin Caldwell

A chick flick is a movie that focuses on stories about and (usually) by women. They are sometimes dismissed as silly, and some of them legitimately are. Nevertheless, some are really quite profound and explore important truths about life. As for the chick flicks that are silly, that's not necessarily a bad thing either. Everyone needs a chance to relax and escape into some pure, mindless entertainment once in a while. So snuggle up on the couch, either with your best gal pals or your favorite furry friend, and enjoy the following chick flicks on your next movie night.

Clueless

Clueless is easy to dismiss as being mindless entertainment. Many people are surprised to learn that it is based on a piece of classic literature: Jane Austen's Emma. Set in a world of clunky cell phones and fashion that would have been unrecognizable to the 19th-century author but now seems anachronistic, Clueless is a good illustration of why only professional NY matchmakers should be trusted to intervene in other people's love lives. Amateurs with good intentions may cause more harm than good.

Bridget Jones's Diary

This film is based on another Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice, making the 19th-century classic relatable to the 21st-century woman. The movie adds an interesting wrinkle by combining the characters of the wayward younger sister and the social-climbing mother, thus going further to explore the dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship, and the moment when the caretaking roles reverse, than Austen's original story does.

Never Been Kissed

Never Been Kissed is the story of a forbidden romance between a sweet, swoon-worthy teacher and a journalist who goes undercover posing as a high school student for a story. It is instantly relatable to anyone who was a late bloomer in high school. It sends a message that things get better and also offers hope to those who, for whatever reason, are still waiting for that first kiss.

Fried Green Tomatoes

There are relatively few movies about real, genuine friendship, in which romance takes a backseat. Movies about friendship between women, though more common than movies about male friendship that don't involve car chases or explosions, are still pretty rare. Fried Green Tomatoes is a movie about multiple friendships that cross generations, race lines, and social taboos. It is also a movie about the power of story to empower people to change their own lives for the better and the benefits of having a role model to look up to. Kathy Bates won the Oscar for Misery a year before, but she gives an even better performance here, perhaps the best of her entire career.

Notting Hill

Ordinary people have romantic and unrealistic views of celebrity life. Money, fame, glamor may all be nice but they make it difficult to know whether people really care about who you are as a person or whether they would abandon you if all those externals suddenly disappeared. Hugh Grant, the handsome but devilish cad from Bridget Jones's Diary, here plays a nice, unassuming guy who gets a little more than he bargained for when he falls in love with a movie star who wanders into the bookshop he owns. It takes a lot for them to get beyond all the static that their situation imposes and learn to see each other for who they really are. But the pay-off makes you believe that, when it comes to love, anything is possible.

You've Got Mail

You've Got Mail is the epitome of the unintentional period piece. Nevertheless, if you can get past the hopelessly dated technology, it still tells a very charming story about true love, mistaken identity, and the importance of getting past externals to get to know a person's inner self. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are two of the most likable and charismatic people in the world, and watching them fall in love, first online and later IRL, is sure to give you the warm fuzzies.

Conclusion

Chick flicks are enjoyable when you're by yourself, but watching them with friends makes them even better.

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GUEST COLUMN: 5 Top Movies About the High School Experience

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5 Top Movies About the High School Experience 

by Devin Caldwell

High school is a rite of passage throughout the world. Not everyone has the exact same experience, but everyone experiences high school, which makes a movie about it instantly relatable. For some people, high school represents the glory days; for others, it was a complete horror show. Nevertheless, no matter what your experience was like, there is a movie that accurately represents it.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Peter Parker is a high school student who goes on a class trip to Europe, no doubt arranged to teach the students something about global citizenship. However, because Peter Parker is secretly a superhero, he gets drawn into an international crisis while trying to navigate normal teen problems. There have been some criticisms of superhero movies and IP exploitation, which are valid. Nevertheless, many high school students feel as though more is demanded of them than they are able to give and can see themselves in Peter Parker. One of the prevailing themes of the Spider-Man saga is that having superpowers doesn't automatically solve all your problems.

Clueless

Without having seen it, dismissing Clueless as a vapid comedy about privileged Valley Girls and their first-world problems seems easy. However, this perennial favorite actually has roots that run much deeper. Clueless is a modern-day adaptation of Emma by Jane Austen, a tale about a hobbyist matchmaker who has to learn a lesson about how meddling in other people's lives has consequences, especially for the meddler. Jane Austen was well aware that she was a privileged girl with first-world problems and had the sense to satirize the society in which she lived, revealing it for how ridiculous it was. Clueless attempts to do something similar.

10 Things I Hate About You

Like Clueless, this is a movie with a literary pedigree, this time sending up The Taming of the Shrew. What better way to get high schoolers to relate to a work than to set it in their own time? Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's more controversial works, and the movie plays with this by gently making fun of the ridiculousness of the premise of an overprotective father refusing to let his younger daughter date until his older daughter starts going out. 10 Things I Hate About You features the late, lamented Heath Ledger as he was finding his voice as an actor and Julia Stiles in one of her best roles.

Mean Girls

Mean Girls could have turned into just another Hollywood high school cliché about cliques and bullies. However, in the skillful hands of screenwriter and co-star Tina Fey, it turned into something more, something unexpectedly profound and profoundly unexpected. The movie flips the traditional trope on its ear, and the bullied girls seize power and become the bullies. While this may be a triumph in other films, Mean Girls shows that it is neither a healthy nor sustainable situation and ends the movie in a complicated exercise in conflict resolution that manages to be both entertaining and believable.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller is a rogue hero, the type who would eventually be known as brilliant but lazy. He is clever and resourceful, with enormous reserves of wit and cunning. If he were to apply all that practical intelligence, you get the feeling that he could have become the Mark Zuckerberg of the '80s. Yet he doesn't apply all that cleverness towards pursuing fame or amassing fortune. All he wants is one day to spend with his friends. Why? Because life moves fast, and if you don't stop to look around you could miss it. Ferris Bueller's Day Off is an exercise in vicarious wish fulfillment for teenagers and adults alike.

Conclusion

Teen movies are eternal because they are cyclical. Teenagers watch them as teens and then look back on them with nostalgia as adults. Remembering how much they enjoyed them as teenagers, adults make more teen movies for the new generation to watch and enjoy.

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GUEST COLUMN: 4 Positive Messages From the "Dumplin'"

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4 Positive Messages From the 2018 film Dumplin'

by Devin Caldwell

Dumplin' is a 2018 film from Netflix based on the 2015 novel of the same name. It tells the story of a plus-size teenage girl from Texas named Willowdean Dickson, Will for short, who has a strained relationship with her beauty-queen mother. The mother is disappointed in Will's size and only refers to her by the nickname "Dumplin'." Lucy is Will's aunt and kindred spirit who encourages her niece in a love for Dolly Parton music. 

When Lucy dies, Will goes through her things and finds an old beauty pageant entry form. Touched that her aunt wanted to compete in the pageant but never took the step of applying, Will stages a "protest in heels" against superficial standards of beauty and enrolls in her mother's pageant. The other contestants soon follow suit, and the pageant turns into an open revolt against beauty norms as large and petite alike join together in solidarity.

Dumplin' has received acclaim for body-positive messages, but the good lessons don't stop there.

Diversity Is Beautiful

The message of the movie can be extrapolated to mean that it's okay to read articles such as Le-Vel Thrive reviews in the interest of bettering yourself. It is also okay if you love and value yourself just the way you are, whatever your shape and size. You shouldn't have to endure shaming or discrimination because of body type, nor should you have to live up to other people's expectations of you.

However, the movie's embrace of diversity extends beyond body types. Among Lucy's things, Will also finds a flyer for her favorite bar and decides to visit. There, she finds three drag queens who were friends of Lucy's who serve as allies to Will and her friends in the pageant. Without making overt statements about it, the film sends a very clear message about LGBT+ visibility and pride.

Everybody Is a Swimsuit Body

That is the message that Will and her best friend, Elle, share with the audience during the swimsuit competition of the pageant. Will is plus-size, Elle is not, but the two band together to demonstrate that a swimsuit body is a body with a swimsuit on it, and the crowd reacts with love and approval. Will's support system runs the gamut of girls of all body sizes and personalities. She builds self-love with their unconditional support.

People of All Sizes Are Worthy of Love

It is rare to see a love story with a plus-sized female lead, but that's exactly what Dumplin' is. A lot of people who experience body shame, whether because of size or some other factor, feel self-conscious, which can cause them to second-guess whether they are loveable or worthy of love. Will experiences these feelings as well; her initial reaction to a kiss from her crush is disbelief and doubt that a guy like him would really be interested in someone like her. By the end of the movie, Willowdean fully realizes her self-worth and is ready to accept love with confidence.

Mentors and Role Models Are Important 

Will's mother is disappointed in her because of her size. As a result, Will doesn't receive much support from her. However, Will's aunt Lucy, who is also plus-size, shows her the unconditional love that all children need to thrive and that Will is lacking from her mother. Lucy serves as a role model whom Will can look to in forming her self-concept.

However, mentors and role models do not have to be people who are close. Dolly Parton serves such a role in the lives of both Lucy and Will. As Will finds her role model in her aunt, Parton once described herself as the surrogate aunt of the entire country. She contributes songs to the soundtrack, and her quotes encouraging self-esteem underscore the movie's message.

Conclusion 

The last few years have seen a push towards greater representation and inclusivity in the media. However, despite the fact that the majority of women in the United States wear at least a size 14, the entertainment industry has largely ignored that fact. Dumplin' hasn't fixed the problem by itself, but it is a step in the right direction.

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PODCAST: Episode 31 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 31st episode, 25YL film critics, cud-chewing dads, and preachy school teachers Will Johnson and Don Shanahan are joined again by 25YL film writer Byron Lafayette for the second of two episodes looking at the politics of old westerns. Last time, it was the left-leaning High Noon. This time it's 1956's right-wing answer from The Searchers. Deep themes give us the tingles. Come to Monument Valley and enjoy this very rich discussion.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Byron Lafayette is a journalist, film critic, and author, with a (possibly unhealthy) obsession with Pirates of the Caribbean, all things Zack Snyder, and movies in general. Byron has written for many publications over the years, yet never shows his face. To partially quote (and mangle) Batman V Superman "If you seek his face look around you." Follow him on Twitter at @byronlafayette

Cinephile Hissy Fits is a 25YL media podcast, brought to you by RuminationsRadioNetwork.com. Please visit, rate, review and subscribe. If you enjoyed this show, we have more where that came from, with interesting hosts, and wonderful guests. All available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere you find your favorite shows. Follow the show on Twitter at @CinephileFit and on Facebook. Also, find both Will Johnson and Don Shanahan on Letterboxd as the accumulate their viewings and build their ranks and lists.

As Will and Don love to say, come for the shared challenge and tirade and stay for the mutual love and respect for the fun movies encapsulate. Thank you so much for your captive audience and social media participation! Enjoy our new podcast episode!

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MOVIE REVIEW: Eternals

Image courtesy of Walt Disney

ETERNALS-- 3 STARS

Without a doubt, Eternals is the most mystical, talkative, and far-fetched the Marvel Cinematic Universe has endeavored to date. That’s rather telling considering the interconnected franchise’s track record of popcorn storytelling sprinkled with all the grains of salt in a comic book shaker. Forging a creation-busting path of human and superhuman history that spans beyond this world, Eternals is asking for a leap, a huge one that even the most fervent fans may not be able to comprehend or embrace. 

Stoically opening with a long “In the beginning…” crawl, Eternals immediately begins to stack its bricks to build the eons-long interdependence between the planet-creating Celestials, their enlisted titular defensive force of humanoids, and the helpless people of Earth. First seen and referenced in the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the Celestials seeded Earth’s core millions of years ago with a future new one of their own. They also dispatched ten unaging Eternals to foster the human race’s social and technological evolution and safeguard them from the monstrous Deviant creatures who would spoil the Celestials’ planetary fruit-on-the-vine.

LESSON #1: TRUST YOUR LEADERS-- Leading the ten is Salma Hayek’s Ajak, a wise healer given the communication authority to converse with the Celestial judge Arishem (voiced by David Kaye), who observes Earth’s progress for what is growing inside. Decisions are made in the past, present, and future that change the entire course of civilization. Ajak wears that authority with reliable credence. She is flanked by a tight-knit brigade of warriors charging forward with different superpowers, sociological disciplines, and, as you can see from scanning their names like Thena and Gilgamesh, future cultural influences. 

LESSON #2: KNOWING OR QUESTIONING YOUR PURPOSE-- Some of the Eternals are devout to the chief mission of staying uninvolved while others have developed an affinity for the people they protect. The group disbanded after a division of ideologies during the Fall of Tenochtitlan in 16th century Mexico when the last Deviant was defeated. The group members have since folded themselves with bardic fables among earthlings as cult leaders, movie stars, museum curators, scientists, or vagabonds with a range of weak or strong value of innocent lives and overall faith in humanity.

That dichotomy is seen and explored the most in the failed romantic relationship between the group’s genteel elemental manipulator Sersi (Crazy Rich Asians ensemble member Gemma Chan) and their most powerful champion, the flying Ikaris (Richard Madden of Cinderella) with his cosmic eye beams. Circling back to the present day, she has a new human beau named Dane Whitman (Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington) are new and more indomitable Deviants have reappeared, jarring the post-Blip MCU public. Their resurgence forces the estranged Eternals to reform their ranks. 

The eclectic cast of Eternals, combining elders with fresh faces, is a windfall of demographic milestones. Among them, you have Marvel’s first deaf (Lauren Ridloff of The Walking Dead), Latino (Hayek), Korean (Train to Busan’s Don Lee), Pakistani (Kumail Nanjiani of The Big Sick), Irish (The Killing of a Sacred Deer’s Barry Koeghan), and gay (the busy Brian Tyree Henry, in his fifth 2021 film) superhero portrayals for the big screen. Some armchair finger-pointers are going to try and call for deliberately planted tokenism, as if Disney is trying to check off audience approval boxes. 

As Eternals progresses, that crowd will be rendered silent by the actors’ combined and invaluable screen presence. They were chosen for their talent. Gemma Chan steps to the front as the heart and soul among many others channeling the same spirit. Although it is quite difficult to give sizable focus or deep roots to this many new characters, even in a movie stretching beyond two-and-a-half hours, each and every Eternal earns tipping point moments, where the spotlight performer conveys the suitable gravitas for this epic scale.

Oscar-winning Nomadland director Chloe Zhao, breaking hardcore cinephile hearts by taking this blockbuster commission, brings her patient and artful touch to what to many of her eminent peers have devalued as silly theme park roller coasters of content. Her invested involvement was a coop for Disney, made for an “incredible experience,” and one that does not deserve to damage her emerging career and prestige cinema cred. 

Echoing a little bit of Lesson #1 to the production side, the lurid pageantry of a superhero flick is still here, guided by eye-catching special effects and costumes laced with animated spirograph ribbons of digital filigree. However, cinematographer Ben Davis, working on his fifth Marvel film, slows down to match the endurance of Zhao to soak in the bright kinetic action as well as her signature magic hour backlighting in sumptuous locations like the Canary Islands. The normally bombastic composer Ramin Djawadi, returning the MCU from the first Iron Man, also dials down his danger music to include the soulful aim of his director.

The grandiose convergence of mythic themes is all the talk of Eternals written by Zhao, screenwriter Patrick Burleigh (Peter Rabbit 2), and documentary short specialist cousins Ryan and Kaz Firpo (Refuge). It not so softly preaches the specialness of the planet and its people in the larger realm of existence where the exchange of energy at the end of one life begins another. Such heady motivations, coupled with heroism, is a lovely core away from the usual costumed good vs. evil throwdowns, but it’s very, very profuse, complete with all of the intergalactic gibberish in between.

LESSON #3: REWRITING HISTORY AND LEGEND-- Honestly, Eternals swells the Jack Kirby fantasy to a level that is too excessive to absorb. Folks are going to need an atlas and a social studies tutor to get the ancient history and a stenographer to write it all down. Remember when Michael Bay’s Transformers movies upturned and bastardized Arthurian legend, dinosaur extinctions, Apollo moon landings, and teleported massive entities to orbit or collide with the planet for all to see? This movie is guilty of similar offenses. While Bay was deservedly chastised for the ludicrousness, the good graces of Marvel’s popularity will likely spare Eternals a butt-of-all-jokes fate. Still, this may be the movie we look back on where Marvel jumped an ocean of sharks it didn’t need to after having such a good thing going. 

LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#908)

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MOVIE REVIEW: Last Night in Soho

Image courtesy of Focus Features

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO— 3 STARS

Classier people call it “mise-en-scène,” but let’s call it what it really is: a skill set. Distinctive directors have styles and tendencies they love and we love in return. That’s everything from Wes Anderson’s dynamic symmetry to Michael Bay’s explosive American flag ejaculations. Too often, though, some directors never leave certain genre comfort zones in plying their craft. Years ago, Wes Craven made Music of the Heart and Chloe Zhao just finished a comic book movie, but no one better hold their breath for a Christopher Nolan rom-com anytime soon. 

Therefore, it counts as rare and very exciting to see a director apply their skill set to a place it’s never been. That’s Edgar Wright bringing his hyperactive sense of movement, music, and editing to the horror genre with Last Night in Soho. There are times the full force of his madcap flair completely fuels the thrills to be had, and others where his bluster smears the growing mess all over the place.

Last Night in Soho takes an ambitious country girl with big city dreams and catapults her into a suspenseful mental plunge. Eloise “Ellie” Turner (Jojo Rabbit’s Thomasin MacKenzie) was raised by her grandmother (Rita Tushingham of A Taste of Honey) and an idolized collection of British Invasion vinyl after the untimely suicide of her mother. She arrives in South London for fashion design school and discovers her naivety and unfitting awkwardness around the hip urbanites like her classmates Jocasta and John (newcomers Synnøve Karlsen and Michael Ajao, respectively).

LESSON #1: “LONDON CAN BE A LOT”-- No less than two characters, a trusted presence in the beginning and benevolent stranger in the end, offer this line of empathy to our frazzled Eloise. The impersonal enormity of cities can easily overwhelm. Factor in this young woman’s feelings of not belonging, family history of mental illness, and proclivity to see visions of dead people, and you’ve got a setting that’s going to crack a good person to a breaking point or two. Go ahead and blame Swinging London for the haymakers than destroy the faint of heart. 

Ellie flees the clique-y dorm life after one night and answers an advertisement for a women-only room-for-rent nearby. She’s presented with the top floor unit in a building run by the homely and strict Ms. Collins (the late Diana Rigg in her final role). Her digs are above a French restaurant that blinks its alternating red and blue neon to fill the space with a cycle of luscious glow. The freedom and the accommodations are all well and good until the young woman falls asleep.

LESSON #2: NIGHTMARES TIED TO A PARTICULAR PLACE-- Each night, Ellie finds herself pulled into a dreamscape that features an aspiring singer named Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy of The Queen’s Gambit) that once lived in the very same room over 50 years ago. The blonde bombshell is trying to woo her way to the main stages of the nightspots that used to occupy the same Soho area Ellie resides in now. Many believe the locations in which a dream takes place can often be the symbol of the dreamer’s state of life and being. Multiply that examination by two between Sandy and Eloise sharing the same bed, streets, and local haunts across time. 

Glittering under the lights with her kitschy frock with all the confidence Ellie lacks, Sandy’s allure begins to inspire Ellie’s curiosity and passion during the daylight hours. Within every evening episode, Ellie sees Sandy latching onto the thirsty and connected Jack (Doctor Who favorite Matt Smith) as her springboard only to descend into pimped servitude. A startle here and scare there escalate amusingly to terrifying levels for our two main leads.

Often twisted through mirrors to appear as if they are trading places and perils, the two ingenue actresses are each bewitching through their opposing personalities. Anya Taylor-Joy can merely blink and drop any jaw in the room. Have her sing and that effect only increases. Likewise, Thomasin MacKenzie’s transformation from a frumpy caterpillar to a minor moth of beauty grabs our attention. When their struggles interlock through the enveloping sleaze, violent threats, and mental destruction simmering around them, we’re locked on their shared fate thanks to their combined commitment. 

It’s in these sequences within this nocturnal pocket universe that Edgar Wright really shows off the reach of his cinematic finesse. His dexterity to move and groove comes through the twirling camera work of The Handmaiden cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon. The South Korean’s lighting and gaze gives spotlight attention to the stunning costume design creations of Brooklyn’s Odile Dicks-Mireaux and the impeccable hair and makeup from Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Looks were never going to be Edgar Wright’s problem and neither was sound. The filmmaker and his go-to music supervisor Kirsten Lane (Baby Driver) took a sizeable playlist of inspiration and cherry-picked a phenomenal final soundtrack. Its contagious vigor backs every dance and chase. When the old records are off the needle, an ominous score from Gravity composer Steven Price fills in the auditory cracks. 

Where Wright’s artistic fervor misses is with crafting this chiller to deceive and show purpose as stylishly as it looks and sounds. Co-written by 1917’s Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Last Night in Soho does not quite build exploratory bridges of equal strength between its highlighted past and downshifted present. The somewhat selective narrative questionably cannot decide if it’s celebrating the ghastly decadence or condemning it. The wonderful talents of Terence Stamp and Diana Rigg are granted plum senior parts to be secretive figures, but their roles feel telegraphed to be easily predictable swerves. Comeuppances and ending threads arrive egregiously too easily and too weakly.

All of the nimbleness from swimming in time-bending nightmares gets washed away by a present with little mystery to match. It’s odd to call an Edgar Wright film somewhat slow in pacing, yet here we are feeling drag when the pizazz is either turned off or soured by the ickiness. A level of extra oomph and shock is missing for the viewer. What was sensationally painted to linger doesn’t get the fullest chance to stain and sear more than just pretty clothes.

LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#907)

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Harder They Fall

Official Black Perspectives and Drive-In Presentation of the 57th Chicago International Film Festival

THE HARDER THEY FALL-- 4 STARS

Readying its eager and loose dramatic license, the opening message of The Harder They Fall begins with “While the events of this story are fictional…” and changes to proclaim “These. People. Existed.” fading in one word at a time with those table-slamming periods. Consider that an emphatic shout to be heard that is louder than any broken bone or gunshot that follows in this Netflix release. The indignation seething from this movie is warranted and gladly received. 

LESSON #1: BLACK PEOPLE IN PERIOD PIECES SHOULD NOT BE SUBSERVIENT-- Written by Remember the Titans director Boaz Yakin and London recording artist Jeymes Samuel, also known as The Bullitts, in his feature directorial debut, The Harder They Fall assembles an infamous collection of Black western heroes, legends, and villains and splits them across two factions sharing a beef for supremacy and due respect. You won’t find a single slave, butler, housemaid, or other servant profession cliche in this movie. Even the most sinful or deranged among them exudes their culture and operates on their own accord without a care or need to cower to anyone. The Harder They Fall pushes back against decades of ignored truths and weak cinematic portrayals to put the uninhibited brazenness front and center.

Painted with an origin story of seeking to avenge the murder of his parents witnessed as a young child, Nat Love (Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors) has grown into his own man seeking the killer, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba of The Suicide Squad) and his connected gang. Flanked by the deadly Trudy Smith (If Beale Street Could Talk Oscar winner Regina King), the lightning-fast Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield of The Photograph), and sharpshooter guards on every building, Buck presides as the iron-fisted controller of the podunk town of Redwood City. 

Love, through his own initiatives and growing reputation as a rival outlaw partnering with the quick-drawing Jim Beckwourth (RJ Cyler of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), has been inching closer to being powerful enough and supported with a larger squad of his own to confront The Rufus Buck Gang. Nat enlists the help of his shotgun-wielding and stage-singing squeeze Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz of Nine Days), her own tough teen security partner Cuffee (Paradise Lost’s Danielle Deadwyler), and the legendary Black deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo of Da 5 Bloods). All roads for Nat Love seek to end in Redwood City.

LESSON #2: CALL OUT YOUR QUARREL-- The closer we get to the inevitable climactic showdown, which naturally includes a greed factor of disputed money, the character dynamics get tougher and looser at the same time. Crosshairs are tightened and motivations are spoken with finger-pointing glares instead of merely being wished or imagined. Concurrently, glows of sashayed confidence are transmitted by both throngs itching for this fight. What does that look like and sound like in The Harder They Fall? It’s a devilish smirk, a cocked pistol, and a backhanded “much obliged, motherf-ckers” line of pleasantry. 

Not a single member of this movie’s exciting ensemble performs with any less braggadocio than their respective characters. While much of that what transpires is funneling towards the star vehicle confrontation between the all-consumed Jonathan Majors and the paralyzing Idris Elba as the opposing leaders, it’s the featured women that steal the show. As the men share threats and platitudes at gunpoint, Zazie Beetz and Regina King take their part of the feud to an enthralling and visceral level. Simultaneously and true to the director’s intention from Lesson #1, there is an ominous sense of radical vulnerability. Even with the actors showing off vigilante swagger every chance they get in a movie that’s a shade too long, the greater racial struggles, including parallels to the present day, are not forgotten for action’s sake. When stiffer drama is required beyond the pulp thrills, this stern cast delivers. 

Incidentally, records show that none of these characters ever interacted in real life. Old West hero Nat Love would leave the cowboy life and become a Pullman porter. Rufus Buck and Cherokee Bill were hanged months apart for different crimes. James Beckwourth was a fur-trading explorer than he ever was a gunslinger and died thirty years before anyone else in this movie. Stagecoach Mary was the first black female star route mail carrier in the United States and Bass Reeves would become the inspiration for the Lone Ranger character. 

No epilogue notes for The Harder They Fall include those accuracies. A future “History vs. Hollywood” entry is likely on the way. Jeymes Samuel cherry-picking their legacies, arming them to the teeth, and putting them in a gladiatorial arena of saloons, streets, saddles, and six-shooters likely counts as bastardizing history. That’ll irk some purists, certainly, but this isn’t the first or last western amplifying tall tales and fish stories for entertainment. If people want facts, they’re going to have to look elsewhere than this powerhouse production from the combined bankrolling powers of Shawn Carter, former Pixar czar James Lassiter, and Tarantino regular Lawrence Bender. 

The western genre is always prime territory for stylization and that was the secondary goal for Jeymes Samuel outside of the forthright racial depictions. Powered by a modern-flavored soundtrack, Samuel’s movie has a distinct groove and pep to things that are normally as slow as a trail-walking mule. Through an excellent satin-laced production design from Martin Whist (The Cabin in the Woods), Antoninette Messam’s (Creed) stunning costume work, and precision rotating camera dexterity by cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. (Jojo Rabbit, The Master), The Harder They Fall pops with color and energy. Damn, does this movie look phenomenal! The Harder They Fall brims with as much flair you’ll see in a western this side of Sam Raimi’s flashy The Quick and the Dead from 26 years ago. To see that finesse come from proud sources makes it even more special.

LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#906)

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PODCAST: Episode 30 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 30th episode, 25YL film critics, gun-tottin' dads, and paper-grading school teachers Will Johnson and Don Shanahan welcomed a new guest to the dais for the first of two episodes. Say hello to the enigmatic Byron Lafayette, a newer film staff writer from 25YL. At his request, the three dive into competing politics first in 1952's Gary Cooper classic High Noon! We've got extra stoicism for you listeners! Next week, John Wayne claps back with The Searchers.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Byron Lafayette is a journalist, film critic, and author, with a (possibly unhealthy) obsession with Pirates of the Caribbean, all things Zack Snyder, and movies in general. Byron has written for many publications over the years, yet never shows his face. To partially quote (and mangle) Batman V Superman "If you seek his face look around you." Follow him on Twitter at @byronlafayette

Cinephile Hissy Fits is a 25YL media podcast, brought to you by RuminationsRadioNetwork.com. Please visit, rate, review and subscribe. If you enjoyed this show, we have more where that came from, with interesting hosts, and wonderful guests. All available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere you find your favorite shows. Follow the show on Twitter at @CinephileFit and on Facebook. Also, find both Will Johnson and Don Shanahan on Letterboxd as they accumulate their viewings and build their ranks and lists.

As Will and Don love to say, come for the shared challenge and tirade and stay for the mutual love and respect for the fun movies encapsulate. Thank you so much for your captive audience and social media participation! Enjoy our new podcast episode!

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